Restaurant Seating - weird ask

[ClaraOswald]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to be writing a list of all of these options. I really appreciate it.

I hadn't thought about taking a boat or walking to resorts from HS. That might actually be a good option for us. Is it a very long boat ride from HS to Boardwalk or Beach Club? I've always wanted to check those resorts out so this might be a good excuse. We aren't fans of the Skyliner but love a boat ride.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to be writing a list of all of these options. I really appreciate it.

I hadn't thought about taking a boat or walking to resorts from HS. That might actually be a good option for us. Is it a very long boat ride from HS to Boardwalk or Beach Club? I've always wanted to check those resorts out so this might be a good excuse. We aren't fans of the Skyliner but love a boat ride.

Less than 10 minutes via boat, once it's on its way. I believe first stop is Swan/Dolphin, then BW, then YC/BC.

Another potential suggestion is the 'food court' type set up they have in Harambe Village at AK - we often dine there, and they have bench type seating (or standing available) in a common area. Keep in mind, the train going to Rafiki's Planet Watch goes by periodically right next to the dining area - not sure if that's a problem or perhaps something your child might like.

 

[jimmymc]

For Hollywood Studios:

• Woody's Lunchbox has standing tables
• Docking Bay 7 has chairs without backs and high-top tables where he could stand
• Rosie's All-American Cafe has benches. This is also a good place if you wanted to get food to go from other restaurants
• There are plenty of benches in front of Dockside Diner
• 50's Prime Time has lots of tables set away from others, so he could stand without crowding other tables
• If he's OK standing with his back towards the wall, then he could stand at one of the tables towards the back of Sci Fi Dine In Theater

Magic Kingdom:

• The Lunching Pad uses stools with no backs
• Cosmic Rays has a bar near the registers he can stand and eat at
• Upstairs at Columbia Harbor House has chairbacks but isn't very crowded, so he could stand while everyone else sits
• Pecos Bills uses stools without backs

Epcot:

• There are standing tables all around world showcase for festival eating
• Inside the Odyssey Pavilion, there is usually plenty of tables and places to stand
• Lotus Blossom Cafe has bench tables and high top tables
• Regal Eagle has benches
• Katsura Grill has benches and stools outside

Animal Kingdom:

• Harambe Market has some bench seating
• Satuli Canteen usually isn't too crowded inside, so you can probably find a place for him to stand

From my research, very few table service restaurants have bench seating unless you're at the bar, and even a lot of those have chairback stools. If you really want to do a table service meal, the resort restaurants will be less busy and more likely to have tables with space around them.

 

[Mouse Tracker]

hasn't really sat at tables in years. He prefers to stand to eat

That's usually my luck when eating and I'm not autistic. Especially at Casey's in MK. He'll blend in with the rest of us

 

[ClaraOswald]

Less than 10 minutes via boat, once it's on its way. I believe first stop is Swan/Dolphin, then BW, then YC/BC.

Another potential suggestion is the 'food court' type set up they have in Harambe Village at AK - we often dine there, and they have bench type seating (or standing available) in a common area. Keep in mind, the train going to Rafiki's Planet Watch goes by periodically right next to the dining area - not sure if that's a problem or perhaps something your child might like.

Thanks. I think we may actually be skipping AK all together this trip. Makes me a bit sad as I really like this park. But with the Dino area closed, there's really only 1 or maybe 2 rides in the park my son would like. He's not into looking at animals, meeting characters, or watching shows. Hopefully when all the new stuff is built, there will be more for him to enjoy at AK!

For Hollywood Studios:

• Woody's Lunchbox has standing tables
• Docking Bay 7 has chairs without backs and high-top tables where he could stand
• Rosie's All-American Cafe has benches. This is also a good place if you wanted to get food to go from other restaurants
• There are plenty of benches in front of Dockside Diner
• 50's Prime Time has lots of tables set away from others, so he could stand without crowding other tables
• If he's OK standing with his back towards the wall, then he could stand at one of the tables towards the back of Sci Fi Dine In Theater

Magic Kingdom:

• The Lunching Pad uses stools with no backs
• Cosmic Rays has a bar near the registers he can stand and eat at
• Upstairs at Columbia Harbor House has chairbacks but isn't very crowded, so he could stand while everyone else sits
• Pecos Bills uses stools without backs

Epcot:

• There are standing tables all around world showcase for festival eating
• Inside the Odyssey Pavilion, there is usually plenty of tables and places to stand
• Lotus Blossom Cafe has bench tables and high top tables
• Regal Eagle has benches
• Katsura Grill has benches and stools outside

Animal Kingdom:

• Harambe Market has some bench seating
• Satuli Canteen usually isn't too crowded inside, so you can probably find a place for him to stand

From my research, very few table service restaurants have bench seating unless you're at the bar, and even a lot of those have chairback stools. If you really want to do a table service meal, the resort restaurants will be less busy and more likely to have tables with space around them.

WOW....Thanks for this!

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to be writing a list of all of these options. I really appreciate it.

I hadn't thought about taking a boat or walking to resorts from HS. That might actually be a good option for us. Is it a very long boat ride from HS to Boardwalk or Beach Club? I've always wanted to check those resorts out so this might be a good excuse. We aren't fans of the Skyliner but love a boat ride.

From DHS, the stops are S/D, Y/B, then BW and finally Epcot. The longest segment is from DSH to Swan/Dolphin, about 10 minutes. There are several TS and QS restaurants there; the Fountain QS gets repeated recommendations here as a burger and ice cream place. Yacht & Beach Club is about 5 minutes from S/D, and BW is about 5 minutes from there.

 

[Anthony1971]

while I do not have a list and cannot recall in the parks some places have high top tables or counter type seating that may accommodate as well? I can recall Chicken Guy and Cooks of Dublin in DS for CS although he may not like the food at Cooks.

 

[B-Ride]

We still leave the chair at the table, in case he would decide he wants it. So he's usually standing in front of the chair with it kind of pushed out. That can easily be in the way of people walking by, depending upon the layout of the tables. Sometimes we can push the chair over so it's more next to him. But again, it depends on the types of chairs and table.

I can't believe that there will be a place that wouldn't accommodate your son's needs.

 

[Bellex917]

Pinocchio Village Haus has some tables outside upstairs that don't have backs. I think they have the same ones outside downstairs too, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Pyxie]

Thanks. I think we may actually be skipping AK all together this trip. Makes me a bit sad as I really like this park. But with the Dino area closed, there's really only 1 or maybe 2 rides in the park my son would like. He's not into looking at animals, meeting characters, or watching shows. Hopefully when all the new stuff is built, there will be more for him to enjoy at AK!



WOW....Thanks for this!

When is your trip? The dino area is not closed yet and no closing date has actually been announced.

 

[BlueGreen5]

I can't believe that there will be a place that wouldn't accommodate your son's needs.

This.

Coming from a person who has a loved one on the spectrum: kudos to you for recognizing and adapting to your DS' needs. Too often, parents just tell their kids to "stop being difficult," and it's heartbreaking.

IMO, this is not a hard thing for CMs to accommodate. Worst case: you're asking the serve to maybe pick an alternate path to serve a few tables for 30-60 minutes of their entire day so your son can stand. Best case: they have a chair that is maybe off-theme, but fits his needs, that they can put in a place that doesn't make him uncomfortable or them inconvenienced. So, I would insist on eating where you want and putting it on the CMs to figure it out. It can be done in a polite and respectful, but still assertive, way. In my experience, WDW is almost always very very good about A) accommodating, and B) not making you feel bad about needing an accommodation.

If you do figure out where you want to eat in advance, it might be helpful to reach out to guest services or the restaurant itself and let them know what you'll be asking of them (I'd probably pick guest services because, in my experience, they tend to be the best trained in these matters). It's really not that hard to bring a stool/bench over from backstage or somewhere else if they know a couple hours in advance.

I do think we caretakers of ND folks need to be a little more assertive/empowered, and less of the "this is our burden to bear" mindset, at times. Your DS needs (NEEDS!) this, he and you are entitled to eat where you want just like everyone else, you should not have to be going on message boards to find out where you all can eat with the default arrangements, and, at the end of the day, this is such a very minor ask from you.

And @jimmymc - that's either an incredible memory you have, you live at WDW, or you're a saint for going to all of these parks to research for OP. I'm genuinely curious how you came up with such a detailed list because those are the only explanations I can come up with lol.

 

[jimmymc]

And @jimmymc - that's either an incredible memory you have, you live at WDW, or you're a saint for going to all of these parks to research for OP. I'm genuinely curious how you came up with such a detailed list because those are the only explanations I can come up with lol.

It was a combination of memory and google maps! The parks aren't mapped by google themselves, but enough people post 360 photos that you can figure it out. I also get very detailed when I'm doing trip planning, like looking at photos and reading menus for every restaurant I plan on eating at.

 

[ClaraOswald]

When is your trip? The dino area is not closed yet and no closing date has actually been announced.

Late January. I think it will likely be closed by then but I guess it's possible it will be open so I'll keep an eye out beforehand.

This.

Coming from a person who has a loved one on the spectrum: kudos to you for recognizing and adapting to your DS' needs. Too often, parents just tell their kids to "stop being difficult," and it's heartbreaking.

IMO, this is not a hard thing for CMs to accommodate. Worst case: you're asking the serve to maybe pick an alternate path to serve a few tables for 30-60 minutes of their entire day so your son can stand. Best case: they have a chair that is maybe off-theme, but fits his needs, that they can put in a place that doesn't make him uncomfortable or them inconvenienced. So, I would insist on eating where you want and putting it on the CMs to figure it out. It can be done in a polite and respectful, but still assertive, way. In my experience, WDW is almost always very very good about A) accommodating, and B) not making you feel bad about needing an accommodation.

If you do figure out where you want to eat in advance, it might be helpful to reach out to guest services or the restaurant itself and let them know what you'll be asking of them (I'd probably pick guest services because, in my experience, they tend to be the best trained in these matters). It's really not that hard to bring a stool/bench over from backstage or somewhere else if they know a couple hours in advance.

I do think we caretakers of ND folks need to be a little more assertive/empowered, and less of the "this is our burden to bear" mindset, at times. Your DS needs (NEEDS!) this, he and you are entitled to eat where you want just like everyone else, you should not have to be going on message boards to find out where you all can eat with the default arrangements, and, at the end of the day, this is such a very minor ask from you.

And @jimmymc - that's either an incredible memory you have, you live at WDW, or you're a saint for going to all of these parks to research for OP. I'm genuinely curious how you came up with such a detailed list because those are the only explanations I can come up with lol.

Thanks. It's so hard sometimes. We had a bad experience on our road trip this summer and it was the first time we had trouble so now I'm just super paranoid.